ὣς εἰπὼν ἡγεῖθʼ, ἡ δʼ ἕσπετο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.125

οἱ δʼ ὅτε δή ῥʼ ἔντοσθεν ἔσαν δόμου ὑψηλοῖο,

ἔγχος μέν ῥʼ ἔστησε φέρων πρὸς κίονα μακρὴν

δουροδόκης ἔντοσθεν ἐυξόου, ἔνθα περ ἄλλα

ἔγχεʼ Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος ἵστατο πολλά, 

αὐτὴν δʼ ἐς θρόνον εἷσεν ἄγων, ὑπὸ λῖτα πετάσσας, 130

καλὸν δαιδάλεον· ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυς ποσὶν ἦεν.

πὰρ δʼ αὐτὸς κλισμὸν θέτο ποικίλον, ἔκτοθεν ἄλλων

μνηστήρων, μὴ ξεῖνος ἀνιηθεὶς ὀρυμαγδῷ

δείπνῳ ἁδήσειεν, ὑπερφιάλοισι μετελθών,

ἠδʼ ἵνα μιν περὶ πατρὸς ἀποιχομένοιο ἔροιτο.135

χέρνιβα δʼ ἀμφίπολος προχόῳ ἐπέχευε φέρουσα

καλῇ χρυσείῃ, ὑπὲρ ἀργυρέοιο λέβητος,

νίψασθαι· παρὰ δὲ ξεστὴν ἐτάνυσσε τράπεζαν.

σῖτον δʼ αἰδοίη ταμίη παρέθηκε φέρουσα,

εἴδατα πόλλʼ ἐπιθεῖσα, χαριζομένη παρεόντων·140

δαιτρὸς δὲ κρειῶν πίνακας παρέθηκεν ἀείρας

παντοίων, παρὰ δέ σφι τίθει χρύσεια κύπελλα·

κῆρυξ δʼ αὐτοῖσιν θάμʼ ἐπῴχετο οἰνοχοεύων.

ἐς δʼ ἦλθον μνηστῆρες ἀγήνορες. οἱ μὲν ἔπειτα

ἑξείης ἕζοντο κατὰ κλισμούς τε θρόνους τε,145

τοῖσι δὲ κήρυκες μὲν ὕδωρ ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἔχευαν,

σῖτον δὲ δμῳαὶ παρενήνεον ἐν κανέοισιν,

κοῦροι δὲ κρητῆρας ἐπεστέψαντο ποτοῖο.

οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ὀνείαθʼ ἑτοῖμα προκείμενα χεῖρας ἴαλλον.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος ἐξ ἔρον ἕντο150

μνηστῆρες, τοῖσιν μὲν ἐνὶ φρεσὶν ἄλλα μεμήλει,

μολπή τʼ ὀρχηστύς τε· τὰ γάρ τʼ ἀναθήματα δαιτός·

κῆρυξ δʼ ἐν χερσὶν κίθαριν περικαλλέα θῆκεν

Φημίῳ, ὅς ῥʼ ἤειδε παρὰ μνηστῆρσιν ἀνάγκῃ.

ἦ τοι ὁ φορμίζων ἀνεβάλλετο καλὸν ἀείδειν.155

αὐτὰρ Τηλέμαχος προσέφη γλαυκῶπιν Ἀθήνην,

ἄγχι σχὼν κεφαλήν, ἵνα μὴ πευθοίαθʼ οἱ ἄλλοι·

ξεῖνε φίλʼ, ἦ καί μοι νεμεσήσεαι ὅττι κεν εἴπω;

τούτοισιν μὲν ταῦτα μέλει, κίθαρις καὶ ἀοιδή,

ῥεῖʼ, ἐπεὶ ἀλλότριον βίοτον νήποινον ἔδουσιν,160

ἀνέρος, οὗ δή που λεύκʼ ὀστέα πύθεται ὄμβρῳ

κείμενʼ ἐπʼ ἠπείρου, ἢ εἰν ἁλὶ κῦμα κυλίνδει.

εἰ κεῖνόν γʼ Ἰθάκηνδε ἰδοίατο νοστήσαντα,

πάντες κʼ ἀρησαίατʼ ἐλαφρότεροι πόδας εἶναι

ἢ ἀφνειότεροι χρυσοῖό τε ἐσθῆτός τε.165

νῦν δʼ ὁ μὲν ὣς ἀπόλωλε κακὸν μόρον, οὐδέ τις ἡμῖν

θαλπωρή, εἴ πέρ τις ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων

φῇσιν ἐλεύσεσθαι· τοῦ δʼ ὤλετο νόστιμον ἦμαρ.

ἀλλʼ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον·

τίς πόθεν εἰς ἀνδρῶν; πόθι τοι πόλις ἠδὲ τοκῆες;170

ὁπποίης τʼ ἐπὶ νηὸς ἀφίκεο· πῶς δέ σε ναῦται

ἤγαγον εἰς Ἰθάκην; τίνες ἔμμεναι εὐχετόωντο;

οὐ μὲν γάρ τί σε πεζὸν ὀίομαι ἐνθάδʼ ἱκέσθαι.

καί μοι τοῦτʼ ἀγόρευσον ἐτήτυμον, ὄφρʼ ἐὺ εἰδῶ,

ἠὲ νέον μεθέπεις ἦ καὶ πατρώιός ἐσσι175

ξεῖνος, ἐπεὶ πολλοὶ ἴσαν ἀνέρες ἡμέτερον δῶ

ἄλλοι, ἐπεὶ καὶ κεῖνος ἐπίστροφος ἦν ἀνθρώπων.

    Athena’s arrival marks the beginning of two important transitions: Telemachus’s evolution from mooning, helpless boy to capable young adult, and the return to health of Odysseus’s kingdom, from a playground for the suitors to a fully functioning society.

    read full essay

    The disguised goddess sees the household at its nadir, with Telemachus sitting morosely amid the revelers, unable to exert any authority as they party through another day (113–17). His rising to greet the guest at the door is the first glimmer of hope for the beleaguered royal family.

    It is no accident that this turn for the better coincides with a gesture of hospitality. The rituals for welcoming and entertaining strangers lie at the heart of the Odyssey’s portrait of human experience. Though there are traces of Mycenaean civilization in both Homeric epics, the societies we encounter in the Odyssey largely reflect Greek civilization in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE, as isolated towns began to recover from what looks like a drastic decline after the fall of the great palace economies of Mycenae and Pylos. In a period marked by migrations and colonizing expeditions across the Mediterranean, the customs for receiving strangers would be crucial, both for guests and hosts. The geographical isolation of many Greek towns, set in a landscape dominated by mountains, would make the arrival of strangers a moment charged with both excitement and anxiety. The Odyssey is the first of many stories in Greek literature and myth of strangers coming to town and bringing death with them.

    Athena is the first stranger to arrive in the poem. A small detail hints at the true nature her mission:

    ἔγχος μέν ῥ᾽ ἔστησε φέρων πρὸς κίονα μακρὴν
    δουροδόκης ἔντοσθεν ἐυξόου, ἔνθα περ ἄλλα
    ἔγχε᾽ Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος ἵστατο πολλά;

    He (Telemachus) took her spear to the tall pillar, 
    setting it in the well-polished cabinet, where the other 
    swords of patient-hearted Odysseus stood.

    Odyssey 1.127–29

    The goddess’s spear will hold a place for one of Odysseus’s, just as she will fill in for the king as his son’s adviser until he returns. Taking the role of disguised stranger is practical for Athena, as she can insinuate herself into the palace without undue attention from the suitors. At the same time, she becomes an avatar of Odysseus, who will himself play the part over and over as he arrives in each new place, until his last adventure in his own palace. The return of Odysseus starts here.

    The poet’s full description of the gestures that welcome the guest draw on traditional language that recurs throughout the poem:

    χέρνιβα δ᾽ ἀμφίπολος προχόῳ ἐπέχευε φέρουσα
    καλῇ χρυσείῃ ὑπὲρ ἀργυρέοιο λέβητος,
    νίψασθαι: παρὰ δὲ ξεστὴν ἐτάνυσσε τράπεζαν.
    σῖτον δ᾽ αἰδοίη ταμίη παρέθηκε φέρουσα,
    εἴδατα πόλλ᾽ ἐπιθεῖσα, χαριζομένη παρεόντων:

    The servant brought water, pouring it from a pitcher, 
    golden and beautiful, into a silver basin, 
    to wash their hands. She pulled a polished table beside them, 
    and a discrete housekeeper brought in bread, 
    adding many other kinds of food, generous with her provisions.

    Odyssey 1.136–42 = 4.52–59, 7.172–76, 10.368–72, 15.135–39, 17.91–95

    The anonymous stranger receives the same hospitality offered repeatedly in the poem, from the palaces of Menelaus and Alkinous to the house of Circe the witch. Repetition like this bothered scholars in the 19th century, seeming to signal a lack of imagination and the work of later inferior poets who weakened the “original” vision of Homer. Their approach was to identify which of the passages used the language most smoothly (in their opinion), marking it as the original work, and then try to imagine a poem stripped of what they saw as later awkward additions. This approach was largely obviated by the pioneering scholarship of Milman Parry, an American classicist studying at the Sorbonne, who demonstrated that the repetition in Homeric epic could be the product of a system of formulaic language designed to facilitate the composition of poems like the Iliad and Odyssey in an oral tradition. Instead of fretting over the lack of originality that the repetition seemed to exemplify, Parry began by acknowledging the central role of repeated forms in the poems, then searching for a new way to understand Homer’s creativity within a traditional style designed, as it seemed to Parry, to facilitate the composition of poems like the Iliad and Odyssey without the aid of writing. This is too complex a subject for this essay, but in our reading of the story, we will follow Parry’s lead, looking for evidence of how repetition works to create meaning in the poetry.

    Having done his best to distance the guest from the noisy disorder of the suitors, Telemachus gives voice to his despair. If Odysseus were to return, the suitors would regret their wanton consumption of the royal stores, but he is certainly dead, his bleached bones rolling somewhere in the surf. His words here are the first example of a frequent refrain in the poem, the expression of despair over the death of Odysseus by someone who is in the presence of another who is helping to ensure the hero’s return. We will hear it again from Telemachus, from Eumaeus, and from Penelope more than once (14.132–40; 16.194–200; 23.62–68).

    These occasions contribute to a persistent irony in the story, as characters struggle to cope with the sadness of loss while, often unknowingly, working to prevent that loss.

    Having seen to his guest’s needs, Telemachus asks for some identification:

    Who is he? Where from? Who are his parents? How did he get here? On a boat? Not on foot, surely? And finally, the most important question, is he a friend of Odysseus? This part of the conversation completes the appropriate process for receiving strangers, modeled here for the first time. The order of events is important: refreshment first, then questions. No matter who you are in the Odyssey, you are entitled to a meal and rest before you proceed to your business. Failing to observe the proper forms is a mark of carelessness at best, as in the case of Alkinous, king of the Phaeacians, who is rebuked for neglecting the scruffy sailor who appears at his door (7.155–66), or savagery, as in the case of Polyphemus, who immediately asks Odysseus who he is and then instead of offering his guests a meal, eats two of them (9.255–95).

    But receiving guests is about more than etiquette. Generous hosts confer some status on anyone whom they welcome into their midst. However little they can discover about him, he at least now fills a role within human civilization, where identity—and thus a good reputation—can be preserved. There is also some degree of protection for the host society in welcoming guests properly. The gods, particularly Zeus, look favorably on good hosts. And by bringing a stranger into their human order and learning his identity they defuse some of the potential for harm in the freedom that anonymity can confer. Knowledge is power in the Odyssey. Knowing someone’s name gives you some leverage over that person. Likewise, not giving up this information empowers the visitor, who is not constrained by any stains on his reputation and can move more freely in the new society. Odysseus, as we will see, withholds his name for as long as he can when arriving in a new place, waiting until he is assured of his safety. The revelation of his name, by him or someone else, is invariably a dramatic high point in the story, leading up to his final and most important epiphany in Ithaka, when Penelope acknowledges him as her husband (23.205–30).

     

    Further Reading

    Clarke, H. 1963. “Telemachus and the Telemachia. American Journal of Philology 84: 129–145.

    Felson, N. 1997. Regarding Penelope, 67–91. 2nd ed. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press.

    Murnaghan, S. 1987. Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey, 34–37; 159–166. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Rose, G. 1967. “The Quest of Telemachus." Transactions of the American Philological Association 98: 391–398.

    Thalman, W. 1992. The Odyssey: An Epic of Return, 31–38. New York: Twayne Publishers.

     

    125  εἰπὼν ἡγεῖθ᾽: the subject is Telemachus

    128  δουροδόκης ἐυξόου: "polished spear rack," the spear rack was most likely a rectangular bench with holes cut in it for the spears to stand in.

    129  ἵστατο: singular verb with neuter plural subject (ἔγχε[α]). As the scholiast suggests, the appearance of spears here foreshadows the destruction of the suitors in Book 22 (see Stanford’s note on lines 128–29).

    130  ὑπὸ … πετάσσας: either tmesis > ὑποπετάννυμι, or ὑπὸ is adverbial (“underneath”). Presumably the linen is spread out on the seat so that it is under Athena as she sits.

    131  ὑπὸ δὲ θρῆνυς ποσὶν: ὑπὸ may be a preposition with the dative ποσὶν (“under her feet”), as LSJ understands it (LSJ ὑπό B.I), or it may be adverbial (“underneath”), as Stanford takes it. In the latter case, ποσὶν is a dative of interest (“for her feet”).

    132  πὰρ: adverbial (“nearby”).

    132  ἔκτοθεν: “apart from,” with genitive.

    133  ἀνιηθεὶς ὀρυμαγδῷ: "distressed by the noise," aor. pass. ptc. agreeing with ξεῖνος in apposition to δείπνῳ ἀδήσειεν. The participle takes a dative of cause.

    134  μὴ … δείπνῳ ἁδήσειεν: "so he would not feel loathing at the meal," aor. act. opt. in a negative purpose clause in apposition with ἀνιηθεὶς ὀρυμαγδῷ. Οptative is secondary sequence. Here ἀδήσειεν means "to loathe/disgusted with" (LSJ ἀδέω).

    134  ὑπερφιάλοισι: masc. substantive, referring to the suitors. The dative is governed by the μετά in the compound verb (participle) μετελθών.

    134  μετελθών: the participle has a conditional force: “If he were to come …” (LSJ μετέρχομαι I.1)

    135  μιν … ἔροιτο: the subject of the verb is Telemachus, and μιν refers to the stranger (Athena).

    136–40  these lines appear four times in the Odyssey (for example, 10.368–72).

    136  χέρνιβα: object of the verb ἐπέχευε and the participle φέρουσα.

    136  προχόῳ ἐπέχευε: the water is poured from (or with, dative of instrument) the pitcher (προχόῳ) and over (ὑπὲρ) the basin (λέβητος).

    138  νίψασθαι: infinitive of purpose > νίζω.

    138  παρὰ: adverbial.

    140 χαριζομένη παρεόντων: "giving freely of the things at hand." For the construction with a partitive genitive, see LSJ χαρίζω II.2 and Smyth 1343.

    140  παρεόντων: neut. gen. pl. ptc. > πάρειμι.

    141  ἀείρας: masc. sing. aor. act. ptc. > ἀείρω.

    143  θάμ᾽: θάμα

    146 ὕδωρ ἐπὶ χεῖρας ἔχευαν: a shorter version of the actions described in 136–38.

    147  δμῳαὶ: "women slaves," this word is used again in Book 22 for the women Odysseus hangs.

    148  ποτοῖο: genitive with a verb of filling (Smyth 1369). The thing being filled is in the accusative, the substance with which it is filled is in the genitive.

    149  This formulaic line appears 12 times in the Odyssey, and twice in the Iliad (LSJ ἰάλλω).

    149   ὀνείαθ᾽: = ὀνείατα, which in the context of this formula means “food” (LSJ ὄνειαρ).

    150  This formulaic line appears 22 times in Homer.

    150  πόσιος καὶ ἐδητύος: objective genitives with ἔρον.

    150  ἐξ … ἕντο: tmesis > ἐξίημι (LSJ ἐξίημι). with ἔρον this phrase literally means 'they got rid of desire'. 

    151  μεμήλει: unaugmented plupf. (with the force of an imperfect). The neuter plural subject of this singular verb is ἄλλα.

    152  τὰ γὰρ τ᾽ ἀναθήματα: τὰ should be taken as demonstrative = ταῦτα, with ἀναθήματα as a predicate nominative and the verb ἐστι understood. The τ(ε) marks this as a generalizing statement.

    155  φορμίζων: "lyre player," substantive ptc. functioning as the subject of the sentence. (Smyth 2050)

    155  ἀνεβάλλετο: see LSJ ἀναβάλλω B.I.

    155  ἀείδειν: infinitive of purpose.

    157  πευθοίαθ᾽: πευθοίατο = πεύθοιντο, 3rd pl. pres. mid. opt. > πεύθομαι (an older form of πυνθάνομαι). On the ending –ατο for the 3rd person plural, see Smyth 465.f.D.

    158  ἦ καὶ: introducting an “animated question” (Smyth 2865). The particles indicate Telemachus’s agitated state of mind.

    158  νεμεσήσεαι: 2nd sing. fut. mid./pass. indic. > νεμεσάω.

    158  ὅττι κεν: introduces indefinite relative clause with potential subjunctive. "whatever I might say"–κεν + subjunctive. "Would you be mad if I spoke?"

    159  μέλει: the object of μέλει is nom. and the subject is dat.

    161  ἀνέρος: referring to, without naming, Odysseus. The possessive genitive goes with βίοτον.

    163  εἰ: introducing a future less vivid condition, although Stanford places a period at the end of the line, reading this line as an optative of wish, and lines 164–65 as a potential optative. As Smyth points out, the future less vivid arose from the combination of the optative of wish and the potential optative (Smyth 2330), so it seems permissible to translate the protasis as a wish (“if only …”).

    163  ἰδοίατο: = ἴδοιντο, 3rd pl. aor. mid. opt. > εῖδον (ὁράω). The subject is πάντες in line 164. On the ending –ατο for the 3rd person plural, see Smyth 465.f.D.

    164  πόδας: accusative of respect.

    165  χρυσοῖό τε ἐσθῆτός τε: for the genitives with the adjective ἀφνειότεροι, see Smyth 1422.

    166  κακὸν μόρον: an “internal accusative,” similar to a cognate accusative (Smyth 1567).

    167  οὐδέ τις ἡμῖν: understand ἐστι.

    168  φῇσιν: 3rd sing. pres. act. subj. > φημί. εἰ with the subjunctive indicates that “the supposed occasion is indefinite” (Monro 292), that it may happen at any time, or may not happen at all.

    170  τίς πόθεν: two interrogatives combined without a conjunction.

    170  εἰς: = εἶ.

    171  ὁπποίης: an indirect interrogative, as if introduced by κατάλεξον (Merry-Riddell-Monro and Stanford).

    175  μεθέπεις: glossed at LSJ μεθέπω I.3.

    175  πατρώιός: that is, someone who is already in a guest-friend relationship with Odysseus.

    176  ἴσαν: 3rd pl. impf. act. indic. > εἶμι. The imperfect expresses habitual past action, “used to come to.”

    176 ἡμέτερον δῶ: accusative of the goal of motion, or “terminal accusative,” equivalent to εἰς + acc. (Smyth 1588).

    176  δῶ: = δῶμα.

    177  ἐπίστροφος: “conversant with,” with genitive (Stanford), “a visitor of” (Merry-Riddell-Monro).

    Παλλάς –άδος ἡ: Pallas125

    Ἀθηνᾶ –ᾶς ἡ: Athena

    ἔντοσθε: within, inside

    δόμος –ου ὁ: a house

    ὑψηλός –ή –όν: high, lofty, high-raised

    ἔγχος –ους τό: spear, lance

    ἄρα: particle: 'so'

    κίων –ονος ἡ: a pillar

    δουροδόκη –ης ἡ: a spear case

    εὔξοος –ον: polished

    ἔγχος –ους τό: spear, lance

    Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey

    ταλασίφρων –ον: patient of mind, stout-hearted

    θρόνος –ου ὁ: a seat, chair130

    ἵζω εἵσομαι εἷσα/ἵζησα ἵζηκα: to make to sit, seat, place

    λῖτα: linen cloth

    πεταννύω/πετάννυμι πετῶ ἐπέτασα πεπέτακα πέπταμαι ἐπετάσθην: to spread out

    δαιδάλεος –α –ον: curiously wrought, embroidered

    θρῆνυς –υος ἡ: a footstool

    κλισμός –οῦ ὁ: a couch

    ποικίλος –η –ον: many-coloured, spotted, mottled, pied, dappled

    ἔκτοθεν: outside

    μνηστήρ –ῆρος ὁ: suitor

    ἀνιάω ἀνιάσω ἠνίασα ἠνίακα: to grieve, distress; (pass.) to be vexed

    ὀρυμαγδός –οῦ ὁ: a loud noise, din

    δεῖπνον –ου τό: the principal meal

    ἀδέω ἀδήσω ἤδδησα ἤδδηκα: to feel loathing at, be sated with

    ὑπερφίαλος –ον: overbearing, overweening, arrogant

    μετέρχομαι μετελεύσομαι/μέτειμι μετῆλθον μετελήλυθα: to mingle with, go among (+ dat.); to pursue (+ μετά + acc.)

    ἠδέ: and135

    μιν: him, her, it

    ἀποίχομαι ἀποιχήσομαι ἀπῴχημαι: to be gone away, to be far from

    χέρνιψ –ιβος ἡ: water for washing the hands

    ἀμφίπολος –ον: handmaid

    πρόχοος –ου ὁ/ἡ: wine pitcher

    ἐπιχέω ἐπιχέω ἐπέχεα ἐπικέχυκα ἐπικέχυμαι ἐπεχύθην: to pour water over; to heap up

    χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, of gold, decked

    ἀργύρεος –α or –έη –ον: silver, of silver

    λέβης –ητος ὁ: a basin

    νίζω νίψω ἔνιψα ––– νένιμμαι ἐνίφθην: to wash the hands

    ξεστός –ή –όν: smoothed, polished, wrought

    τανύω τανύσω ἐτάνυσα – τετάνυσμαι ἐτανύσθην: to extend, stretch

    τράπεζα –ης ἡ: a table

    σῖτος –ου ὁ: grain; bread

    αἰδοῖος –α –ον: having claim to compassion or reverence

    ταμία –ας ἡ: a housekeeper

    παρατίθημι παραθήσω παρέθηκα παρατέθηκα ––– παρετέθην: to set before

    εἶδαρ –ατος τό: food140

    ἐπιτίθημι ἐπιθήσω ἐπέθηκα ἐπιτέθηκα ––– ἐπετέθην: to lay, put on

    χαρίζομαι χαρίσομαι ἐχαρισάμην κεχάρισμαι ––– ἐχαρίσθην: to give freely (+ gen), to gratify

    δαιτρός –οῦ ὁ: one that carves

    κρέας –ως τό: meat, piece of meat

    πίναξ –ακος ὁ: a board, plank

    παρατίθημι παραθήσω παρέθηκα παρατέθηκα ––– παρετέθην: to place beside

    ἀείρω ἀρῶ ἤειρα ––– ἤερμαι ἠέρθην: to lift, heave, raise up

    παντοῖος –α –ον: of all sorts

    σφεῖς: personal and (ind.) reflexive pronoun

    χρύσεος –η –ον: golden, of gold, decked

    κύπελλον –ου τό: goblet, cup

    κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: a herald, pursuivant, marshal, public messenger

    θαμά: often, oft-times

    ἐποίχομαι ἐποιχήσομαι ἐπῴχημαι: to go towards, approach

    οἰνοχοεύω – – – – –: to pour out wine; be a cup bearer

    ἀγήνωρ –ορος : manly, arrogant

    ἑξῆς: one after another, in order, in a row145

    ἕζομαι – – – – –: to seat oneself, sit

    κλισμός –οῦ ὁ: a couch

    θρόνος –ου ὁ: a seat, chair

    κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: a herald, pursuivant, marshal, public messenger

    χέω χέω ἔχεα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour

    δμῳή –ής ἡ: an enslaved person, especially one taken in war, handmaid

    παρανηνέω – – – – –: to heap

    κάνεον –ου τό: a basket of reed

    κόρος –ου ὁ: boy

    κρατήρ (Ion. κρητήρ) –ῆρος ὁ: a mixing vessel

    ἐπιστέφω ἐπιστέψω ἐπέστεψα – ἐπέστεμμαι ἐπεστέφθην: to pour

    ποτός –η –ον: drink

    ὄνειαρ –ατος τό: food

    ἑτοῖμος –η –ον: at hand, ready, prepared

    πρόκειμαι προκείσομαι ––– ––– ––– –––: to be set before one

    ἰάλλω ἰαλῶ ἴηλα ––– ––– –––: to send forth

    ἀτάρ: but, yet150

    πόσις –ιος/–εως ὁ: (masc.) husband, spouse; (fem.) drink

    ἐδητύς –ύος ἡ: meat, food

    ἔρος –ου ὁ: desire

    φρήν φρενός ἡ: mind, heart

    μέλω μέλησω ἐμέλησα μεμέληκα ––– –––: to be an object of care

    μολπή –ῆς ἡ: the song and dance, a chant

    ὀρχηστύς –ύος ἡ: the dance

    ἀνάθημα –ατος τό: delight

    δαίς δαιτός ἡ : feast, banquet, meal

    κῆρυξ –υκος ὁ: a herald, pursuivant, marshal, public messenger

    κίθαρις –ιος ἡ: cithara, lyre

    περικαλλής –ές: very beautiful

    Φήμιος –ου ὁ: Phemius, son of Terpis, a bard in Ithaca

    ἄρα: particle: 'so'

    ᾄσομαι ᾖσα ᾖσμαι ᾔσθην: to sing

    τοι: let me tell you, surely, verily155

    φορμίζω – – – – –: to play the φόρμιγξ

    ἀναβάλλω ἀναβαλῶ ἀνέβαλον ἀναβέβληκα ἀναβέβλημαι ἀνεβλήθην: strike up (a song); delay

    Τηλέμαχος –ου ὁ: Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope

    πρόσφημι πρόσφησω προσέφησα: to speak to, address

    γλαυκῶπις –ιδος: with gleaming eyes, brighteyed

    ἄγχι: near, nigh, close by

    φίλος –η –ον: friend; loved, beloved, dear

    νεμεσάω νεμεσήσω ἐνεμέσησα: to feel just resentment, to be wroth at undeserved

    μέλω μέλησω ἐμέλησα μεμέληκα ––– –––: to be an object of care

    κίθαρις –ιος ἡ: cithara, lyre

    ἀοιδή –ῆς ἡ: song, a singing

    ῥεῖα: easily, lightly160

    ἀλλότριος –α –ον: belonging to another

    βίοτος –ου ὁ: life, sustenance

    νήποινος –ον: unavenged

    ἔδω ἔδομαι ἤδα ἔδηδα ἐδήδοται ἠδέσθην: to eat

    λεθκος –η –ον: white

    ὀστέον –ου τό: bone

    πύθω πύσω ἔπῡσα ––– ––– –––: to make rot, to rot

    ὄμβρος –ου ὁ: storm of rain, thunder-storm

    ἤπειρος –ου ἡ: land

    ἅλς ἁλός ὁ: sea

    κῦμα –ατος τό: wave

    κυλίνδω ἐκύλισα κεκύλισμαι ἐκυλίσθην: to roll, roll along

    Ἰθάκηνδε: to Ithaca

    νοστέω νοστήσω ἐνόστησα νενόστηκα: to return home

    ἀράομαι ἀράσομαι (Ion. ἀρήσομαι) ἠρησάμην ἤρᾱμαι: to say, speak

    ἐλαφρός –ά –όν: light, nimble

    ἀφνειός [–ά] –όν: rich, wealthy165

    χρυσός –οῦ ὁ: gold

    ἐσθής –ῆτος ἡ: dress, clothing

    μόρος –ου ὁ: man's appointed doom, fate, destiny

    θαλπωρή –ῆς ἡ: comfort, consolation

    ἐπιχθόνιος –ον: upon the earth, earthly

    ὄλλυμι ὀλῶ ὤλεσα (or ὠλόμην) ὀλώλεκα (or ὄλωλα) ––– –––: to destroy

    νόστιμος –ον: of return

    ἦμαρ –ατος τό: day

    ἄγε: come! come on! well!

    ἀτρεκής –ές: real, genuine

    καταλέγω καταλέξω κατέλεξα κατείλοχα κατείλεγμαι κατελέχθην: recount, tell at length and in order

    πόθεν: whence? (i.e., from where?)170

    πόθι: where?

    τοκεύς –έως ὁ: parent

    ὁποῖος –α –ον: of what sort

    ναύτης –ου ὁ: a sailor, seaman; a fellow sailor

    Ἰθάκη –ης ἡ: Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, an island on the West coast of Greece

    εὐχετάομαι – – – – –: to say, boast, claim, state

    πεζός –ή –όν: on foot

    ἐνθάδε: to this place, to that place

    ἱκνέομαι ἵξομαι ἱκόμην ––– ἷγμαι –––: to come

    ἀγορεύω ἀγορεύσω ἠγόρευσα ἠγόρευκα ἠγόρευμαι ἠγορεύθην: to say

    ἐτήτυμος –ον: true, truthful, real

    ὄφρα: in order that; as long as, until

    μεθέπω μεθέψω μετέσπον: to visit, follow after, follow closely175

    πατρῷος –α –ον (Ion. πατρώϊος): of or belonging to the father

    δῶμα –ατος τό: a house

    ἐπίστροφος –ον: having dealings with, conversant with

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    Suggested Citation

    Thomas Van Nortwick and Rob Hardy, Homer: Odyssey 5–12. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-947822-17-7 https://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-odyssey/i-125%E2%80%93177